Exit Meeting: T Dylan Cook
Experience: 1 Year
Dylan Cook might well be the Steelers’ starting left tackle when they take the field for the first time in the 2026 regular season. He ended 2025 as the starter, though only a series of injuries afforded him the opportunity. Now with his foot in the door after a years-long wait, he isn’t about to squander the opportunity before him.
A former college free agent out of Montana in 2022, Dylan Cook spent time with the Buccaneers as a rookie. The Steelers signed him the following May, and he has been a part of the organization, on and off, since then. He made the 53-man roster that season, and though he didn’t play, survived the whole season.
An injury set him back the following year, beginning the 2024 season on IR. After returning from injury, the Steelers waived Cook but re-signed him to the practice squad. He began the 2025 season there, but injuries mounted, and an opportunity presented itself.
In Week 12, starting LT Broderick Jones suffered a season-ending neck injury. The Steelers turned to Andrus Peat, with Calvin Anderson also injured, to start in his place. They called up Dylan Cook from the practice squad, but he would have to finish that first game. Peat suffered a stinger, and by the time he returned to health, he had lost his job.
Or rather, Cook earned his job. In five starts over six games, including the playoffs, he acquitted himself quite well. With Broderick Jones’ health status unclear, a golden opportunity is in front of him. Even if Jones is ready to defend his job in training camp, there is a chance Dylan Cook might beat him outright.
That isn’t necessarily in the Steelers’ best interests, as Jones is a young former first-round pick. They certainly want him to work out. But the bottom line is, if Cook is better, then he’s better. And for him, it’s now or never. He is already 28 years old, which is way up there for someone with one year of accrued experience. Cook won’t be even a restricted free agent until he’s 30 years old. And before that’s even relevant, he has to win a starting job and then play at a high level. But the door is open for him, and that’s all he’s asked for for years.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves licking their wounds after yetanother early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, but with major change coming. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we willgo down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? The resignation of Mike Tomlin makes those questions much more difficult to answer, but much more important. We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
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